Clothing and laundry · County · Alabama
Clothing and shoe stores in Houston County, AL
How Houston County, AL compares with other counties and the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 23 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,894 of 2,087 scored counties
#44 of 55 scored counties in Alabama
- Listings
- 115
- 53 chain locations (46%)
- Official establishments
- 56
- −5.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $73.7M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,703 a household
- Spending per listing
- $641K
- 50% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 26.6
- 64% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 110,318
- +2.8% since 2020
See the clothing and shoe stores around any address in Houston County
The site report maps the clothing and shoe stores on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Houston County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
Houston County scores 23 (low) on the Groundwork market score for clothing and shoe stores, ranking #1,894 of 2,087 scored counties and #44 of 55 scored counties in Alabama. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Houston County comes to about $73.7M a year: $1,703 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That is about $641K of household spending for each store on map listings, 50% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only clothing and shoe stores.
There are 115 clothing and shoe stores on map listings in Houston County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 46% of them, against 44% across the U.S. That is 26.6 per 10,000 households, 64% above the U.S. rate of 16.2.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in Houston County was 56 in 2023, down 5.1% from 2019. That is one for every 773 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Houston County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Houston County grew 2.8%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Houston County compares
The same measures for Alabama and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all clothing, shoes and related services by the clothing and shoe stores counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Houston County | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 26.6 | 17.6 | 16.2 |
| Spending per listing | $641K | $1M | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 773 | 1,169 | 1,273 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.1% | −7.5% | −12.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,703 | $1,778 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $58,626 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 23 | 26 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 59 → 56−5.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 728
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $14.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 95Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11553 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 58The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as clothing and shoe stores in Houston County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Houston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 110,318+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 43,302
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 580 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 187
- Median household income
- $58,626+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,747
- Median home value
- $183,300
- Jobs located here
- 51,974
- Daytime population
- 116,184Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Houston County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the clothing and shoe stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Houston County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardClothing and shoe stores across Alabama
Every Alabama market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Alabama for clothing and shoe stores, numbered among those based in Alabama, with Houston County marked.
Top counties in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Limestone County, AL | 80 | 47 | 11.5 | $1.7M | +18.0% | #164 of 2,087 |
| 2Elmore County, AL | 74 | 27 | 8.2 | $2.3M | +4.2% | #261 of 2,087 |
| 3Shelby County, AL | 73 | 108 | 12.4 | $1.8M | +6.5% | #307 of 2,087 |
| 4St. Clair County, AL | 69 | 37 | 10.5 | $1.7M | +7.1% | #414 of 2,087 |
| 5Autauga County, AL | 65 | 21 | 9.2 | $2.1M | +5.1% | #521 of 2,087 |
| 6Lawrence County, AL | 62 | 14 | 10.3 | $1.7M | +2.3% | #617 of 2,087 |
| 7Dale County, AL | 61 | 14 | 7.1 | $2.3M | +1.3% | #632 of 2,087 |
| 8Blount County, AL | 61 | 21 | 9.5 | $1.8M | +1.8% | #644 of 2,087 |
| 9Chilton County, AL | 61 | 17 | 9.5 | $1.8M | +5.9% | #646 of 2,087 |
| 10Jackson County, AL | 58 | 21 | 9.6 | $1.7M | +3.3% | #741 of 2,087 |
| 44Houston County, AL | 23 | 115 | 26.6 | $641K | +2.8% | #1,894 of 2,087 |
Other business types in Houston County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
- Clothing, shoes and laundry23
- Clothing and shoe stores23
- Laundromats32
- Dry cleaners23
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many clothing and shoe stores are in Houston County, AL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 115 clothing and shoe stores in Houston County. 53 of them (46%) are chain locations. The listings count clothing, shoe and accessory stores and boutiques. Official counts show 56 businesses with payroll classed as clothing and shoe stores in 2023, down 5.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 95 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Houston County, AL spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $73.7M a year, or $1,703 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 115 clothing and shoe stores on map listings, it comes to $641K per store. That spending covers all clothing, shoes and related services, which clothing and shoe stores share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 43,302 households in Houston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Houston County, AL compare with the U.S. for clothing and shoe stores?
Houston County has 26.6 clothing and shoe stores per 10,000 households, 64% above the U.S. rate of 16.2. Spending per store is $641K, 50% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the U.S. ratio of clothing and shoe stores to household spending, Houston County would have about 58, against 115 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 773 households, against one for every 1,273 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.1% from 2019 to 2023, against −12.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Houston County, AL growing?
Population estimates put Houston County at 110,318 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 43,302 households. Median household income in Houston County is $58,626, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.2%, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Houston County scores 23 for clothing and shoe stores (low), #1,894 of 2,087 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Houston County. It maps the clothing and shoe stores on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for clothing and shoe stores · All 56 business types in Houston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Houston County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Houston County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.